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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2023 Aug 1;118(8):1457-1460.
doi: 10.14309/ajg.0000000000002283. Epub 2023 Apr 11.

The Beneficial Effects of Lactobacillus GG Therapy on Liver and Drinking Assessments in Patients with Moderate Alcohol-Associated Hepatitis

Vatsalya Vatsalya  1   2   3 , Wenke Feng  1   3   4   5 , Maiying Kong  6 , Huirong Hu  6 , Gyongyi Szabo  7   8 , Arthur McCullough  9 , Srinivasan Dasarathy  9 , Laura E Nagy  9 , Svetlana Radaeva  10 , Bruce Barton  7 , Mack Mitchell  11 , Craig J McClain  1   2   3   4   5
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

The Beneficial Effects of Lactobacillus GG Therapy on Liver and Drinking Assessments in Patients with Moderate Alcohol-Associated Hepatitis

Vatsalya Vatsalya et al. Am J Gastroenterol. .

Abstract

Introduction: We investigated the effect of daily oral Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) in reducing liver injury/severity and drinking in patients with alcohol use disorder and moderately severe alcohol-associated hepatitis.

Methods: Forty-six male and female individuals with alcohol use disorder and moderate alcohol-associated hepatitis (12 ≤ model for end-stage liver disease score < 20, aged 21-67 years) received either LGG (n = 24) or placebo (n = 22). Data were collected/assessed at baseline and at 1, 3, and 6 months.

Results: LGG treatment was associated with a significant reduction in liver injury after 1 month. Six months of LGG treatment reduced heavy drinking levels to social or abstinence levels.

Discussion: LGG treatment was associated with an improvement in both liver injury and drinking.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01922895.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosures/Conflicts of Interest: All authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1:
Figure 1:
Liver Injury. A. Liver disease severity as determined by MELD in patients with moderate alcohol-associated hepatitis (mAH) receiving LGG or placebo at baseline and at 1-month time-period. BL: Baseline, LGG: Lactobacillus GG, 1M: 1-month timeline, PL: Placebo, MELD: Model for End-Stage Liver Disease. B. Liver injury as determined by the AST:ALT ratio in patients with moderate alcohol-associated hepatitis (mAH) receiving LGG or placebo at baseline and at 1-month. BL: Baseline, LGG: Lactobacillus GG, 1M: 1-month, PL: Placebo. AST: Aspartate aminotransferase. ALT: Alanine aminotransferase. Data presented as Mean ± Standard Deviation. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. *p<0.05; **p<0.01.
Figure 2:
Figure 2:
Drinks per week in patients with moderate alcohol-associated hepatitis (mAH) receiving LGG or placebo at baseline, and at 6-month time-period. BL: Baseline, LGG: Lactobacillus GG, 6M: 6-month timeline, PL: Placebo. Data presented as Mean ± Standard Deviation. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. ***p<0.001, *p<0.05.
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